Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Labour MP Praises Indian Wartime Fascist Leader

Phil Taylor has a remarkable story of a Labour MP praising an Indian Fascist-sympathising leader. He writes...

On Thursday Ealing Southall MP, Virendra Sharma, gave a speech at the Nehru Centre in London essentially recommending the thoughts of Chandra Bose. Indeed Sharma’s press release is headlined “VIRENDRA SHARMA MP HONOURS THE LEGACY OF NETAJI SUBHAS CHANDRA BOSE”. Bose was a fascist sympathising Indian who rose to prominence during the Second World War.

His stance did not change with the outbreak of the Second World War, which he saw as an opportunity to take advantage of British weakness. At the outset of the war, he went away from India and travelled to the Soviet Union, Germany and Japan, seeking an alliance with the aim of attacking the British in India. With Japanese assistance, he re-organised and later led the Indian National Army, formed from Indian prisoners-of-war and plantation workers from British Malaya, Singapore, and other parts of Southeast Asia, against British forces. With Japanese monetary, political, diplomatic and military assistance, he formed the Azad Hind Government in exile and regrouped and led the Indian National Army in battle against the allies at Imphal and in Burma.

So a Labour MP praises a wartime axis leader because he was, er, Indian, and prior to the war had supported Indian independence. Mr Sharma is a disgrace. Those of his constituents in Ealing Southall who had fathers and grandfathers who fought in the Far East should be informed of this act of treachery by their local MP.

58 comments:

Sadly, it's become quite fashionable among a certain strand of Hindu opinion to praise Bose as a committed Hindu Nationalist against British imperialism and, helpfully, Muslims. The latter being the main motivation. I presume Sharma is just attempting to cash in politically on this view amongst his constituents.

He isn't the only MP who performs wierd ideological somersaults at odds with the views of their Party in the interests of currying favour (no pun intended) with local fanaticisms. I always think of Citizen Ken in this regard, for whom the fact that he represented a constituency heavy with Irish voters had no bearing whatever on his regular cosying up to the IRA. And Tony Benn, who, strangely for a far-leftie, gave unswerving support to a luxury conveyance for the super-rich, Concorde, never for even one second influenced by all those jobs in his Bristol seat.

It would appear that the allure of staying in Parliament very much outweighs anything as inconvenient as intellectual consistency.

Oooh- you can't criticise an Indian MP:because it's racist! That nice Mr Phillips from the CRE will be calling for the SAS, special branch, M15, & spectre to eliminate all criticism of people of coloured descent whether or not they speak a load of cr*p. Now, if a white MP praised a wartime facist leader....

Bose saw the British as occupiers of his country. He worked on the age old premise of my enemy's enemy is my friend.

All of this is understandable in an Indian political context. However that a nominally British politician is using this to garner votes in a British Election, shows how shallow integration is, and that the special pleading groups are alive and well.

Dad fought in Burma with the Indian Army. The heroes of Bhose's "Indian National Army" were desperate to find British, as opposed to Indian, troops to whom they could surrender. That way they got to live! One disgraceful feature of modern India is the way it ignores the huge achievement of the Indian Army in inflicting the greatest ever defeat on its armies in the history of Japan.

BTW just to deal with the stereotypes, Dad was a lowly subaltern the Major was a Brahmin. Then there is the story about the latrine, the Major and the termites, but I digress.

This is astonishing.There are still many veterans left proudly wearing the Burma Star who fought the INA in the worst conditions in the world.For a Westminster MP to praise its fascist political leader is unbelievable.Surely he must have the whip removed.

If I recall correctly, this chap has a bit of form. Isn't he the MP who, as a member of Ealing Council, supported the Gurkhas but then, as a Labour MP, voted with the government in denying them the right of residency?

I live in Ealing-Southall. I've never been impressed by Sharma. He is a one-issue MP who represents only a section of his constituency - the substantial Indian and Pakistani communities in Southall. All else be damned apparently.I recall that his first appearance in the local papers was a protest against the abolition of bilingual (English/Sanskrit) signage at the Southall railway station. In the meantime he is off on junkets to India (paid by the Indian government), Mauritius, Cyprus (for what?),lobbied for a consular office in the Punjab to make it easier for locals to travel to the UK. But what of his constituents? Sharma is a one-trick pony. Now this - he is honouring a man purely because of his origins, and turning a blind eye to the fact that he and many of his constituents are here ONLY because Bose was an inept leader. There are many more examples to use as an example to young people than to point to someone who fought against everything we enjoy today.This is pure desperation for a Labour MP who is pandering to the lowest common denominator in order for him to get re-elected next year. Pathetic.

am sorry but Bose is regarded as a hero by most Indians for his role in the freedom struggle. He was not a fascist sympathiser - his logic was.."We need the British to quit India. Gandhi's non-violence isn't working. We need armed struggle as well - so how do we do this? Japan is at war with Britain - so they become our friends."

There is no proof that Bose was in favour of Fascism. And for the record - I was born in India AND I am a committed Tory supporting activist, but this post seems a bit OTT.

Despairing Liberal seems to be the most informed - good observation! Historical figures do tend to get 'hijacked' by radical groups today giving their own slant on issues. But there is no evidence Bose was against Muslims - Muslims have been part of India's history for ages and they are an integral part of the culture.

AND expect Nationalism to rise everywhere - even in the UK. Rising unemployment is being used as an excuse in India, and I can see this happening here as well.

While it is true that Bose fought alongside the Japanese in Burma and Eastern India, he was certainly no fascist. In fact, he led one group of Indian soldiers against another (the Royal Indian Army, whose soldiers were almost entirely Indian). At the time, both sides thought they were fighting to keep imperialists out of India.

You could argue that a modern-day British MP has no business honouring an individual who fought for the other side in a past war. But branding him fascist is just lazy writing. And using this to attack an MP is scraping the bottom of the barrel.

The Indians didnt really have much choice during WW2. Either support Britain staunchly and lose thousands upon thousands of men. Or side with the Fascists and the Communists. As an Indian seeking independence in 1940, what would you have done?

Bose was a political opportunist and a colonial traitor, but not a fascist. He may have sided with the Germans and the Japanese, but that was due to a shared interest in breaking up the British Empire.

Whilst Bose may not have been a National Socialist, he opposed the racial policies of the Nazis. Bose did write of his admiration for the authoritarian methods which he saw in Italy and Germany during the 1930s, and belief they could be used in building an independent India. Bose exercised authoritarian control over the Azad Hind Government, I think it is fair to describe him as a ‘fascist’ .

Least we forget the British Indian Army was the largest Allied all volunteer force in World War II, the majority of INA soldiers joined to escape the brutality of Japanese PoW camps,(who can blame them) and were quickly reintegrated into the army after capture.

I'd normally have some sympathy with the sort of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" argument being advance here, even when used in defence of somebody like Bose given the implied insult it offers to the five million men of the Indian army who stayed loyal to their salt.

However - in this case it's worth remembering that for the past few weeks Labour supporters have been attacking the Conservatives for forming a group in the European Parliament one of whose members is a Latvian party which has in the past expressed sympathy for Latvians who joined the SS in a bid to prevent Stalin's communists from returning and completing the genocide they started in 1940, and yet here we have a labour MP priasing a man who actually met Hitler and personally recruited men for the SS. The Labourites had no room for "enemy of my enemy" arguments then - hoist the SOBs on their own petard.

Making judgements on others interpretations of history is rarely productive - every terrorist is someone else's freedom fighter, and every hero is someone else's villain.

My wife is from New England in the US. The first time she visited me in the UK, she was shocked that the taxi driver who drove us from the station had a Confederate flag in his cab. Where she's from that is regarded as nothing but a racist symbol.

I explained that here it just means he's most likely a country and western fan. And of course, in some parts of her own country, people would object strongly to her interpretation.

@David Cox: I'm sure you're right that Bose leant to authoritarianism, and in the context of the 1920s-30s Fascism was to many the preferred alternative to liberal democracy, as Communism became after WW2. Chiang Kai-Shek's China, an Allied power in WW2, was indisputably Fascist (and democratic Finland fought with the Axis on a "My enemy's enemy is my friend" basis).

The real question is why did so many national liberation leaders and movements embrace totalitarianism, of either the left or right? Perhaps part of it was due to the fact that the colonising powers themselves claimed to be liberal democracies, and so hardly provided a good example!

As Guthrum and others have observed, my enemy's enemy is my friend. This leads to some uncomfortable friendships:US and Iraq against IranUS and the fundamentalist mujaheddin against Russia in Afghanistan in the 80sIsrael and apartheid South Africa co-operating on nuclear research Finland and the Nazis against Russia in the Winter Warandcountless bizarre and unstable alliances during the C18 & C19.

Remember that dear old Churchill said, "If Hitler invaded hell I would make at least a favourable reference to the devil in the House of Commons."

Bose is Begali name, that is Indian part of Bengal. There the name Bose is like Smith and Jones.

Subash Chandra Bose, that was his full name did have a simplistic view, the enemy of his enemy was his friend and admired Hitler for that and dressed like him without the Swastika arm band. But Hitler knew that the Indian leader who mattered most was Jawaharlal Nehru ( Later the first prime minister of Independent India)- the Harrow, Eton, Cambridge and the Temple educated barrister , the first disciple of Gandhi and his heir. When Nehru was in Europe, a message was sent to him that Hitler wanted to see him. ButNehru had no time for Nazis and ignored this invitation.As for the argument:"As an Indian seeking independence in 1940, what would you have done?"

Simple, I would have joined Gandhi as his was a nonviolent struggle for independence and was morally very strong, and not joining thisBose who dressed and spoke like a fascist.

By the way, it took nearly 50 years and after two generations of Indian freedom fighters were gone to recognise this Bose by Indians. Mostly becasue of Indian politics which had by then mired in corruption, horse trading, floor-crossing in parliament at frequent intervals etc.. etc..

Bose's death was held out as a mystery, some Indians, the deluded ones believed that he would visit India one day even 25 years after Independence (achieved in 1947). Well he did not. This Labour politician Sharma is a fool and deluded soul. My relatives are Indian and many of their fathers could have joined this Bose in 1940s, but they knew too well, and followed Gandhi.

Iain Dale, I am a reagular reader of your blog and agree with you frequently but I think you have got this one wrong.

Subhas Chandra Bose was an Indian Nationalist living in his home country that was micro-managed by an overbearing and arrogant British Raj.

Inevitably he wanted independence and worked with the National Congress for political solutions. He chose peaceful means rather than terrorism like Bhagat Singh. Having been arrested multiple times, had nuermous peaceful campaigns called off and he finally felt in the 1940s that Gandhi would never get independence peacefully and enlisted support to kick the British out. Remember that by this time he had endured 43 years of foreign rule in his home country. He enlisted both Japanese and Soviet support and was praised by both Mahatma Gandhi and Jawarhalal Nehru - I think calling him an axis leader or fascist trivialises his life.

houdini, I'm not sure where you get the idea that Guevara was anti democratic although he didn'thave anything to do with the cuban revelution he helped overthrough teh previous lot and he died fighting for democracy,

blah blah blah ,a hindu who was quiet about the nazis, how many catholics be they in Ireland or memebers of the guild kept quiet about the nazis

also fighting on the side of the Japanese in Burma was Aung San, the late father of the saintly Leader of the Burmese opposition. History makes for strange bedfellows, but don't expect Burma vets to love the JIFs.

"Our MP has attended conferences in India, paid for by the Indian government for parliamentarians of Indian origin, see here. Maybe Sharma needs to work out whether he is an Indian MP or a British MP?"

Mr Iain Dale, I am a journalist from India and I am shellshocked that you call Subhash Chandra Bose, a fascist leader. That is entirely wrong, and I suggest you please find out more about Indian history. I am extremely disappointed in your blogpost. Thought you knew more.

Hmmmm... so it's ok to label people Fascists then is it?! c/f your post earlier today railing against the branding of individuals as sexists, racists and homophobes...

FYI, Calcutta airport is now named Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International airport. And the man in charge of West Bengal when it was re-named?! Why, none other than that renowned Right-winger and Fascist-sympathiser Jyoti Basu!

Like it or not, Bose is regarded by many in India as a national hero, and they'd take great exception to you calling him a Fascist.

Indians and their supporters herehave strange logic. This S. Bose was much too romanticised, was no military leader and had no strategy except an impossible dream of defeating the British. Well, as long as Nehru was alive, S. Bose was not much of consequence except by Bose's few followers who formed a party called called Forward Block.

As I mentioned below , his rahabilitation came after two generations of Indian leaders have gone since independence. As for that wily Jyoti-Basu the Marxist as I mentioned earlier it was politics as his pary was in coalition at the central govt level. He was chief minister of W. Bengal for years and for years had no inclination to rename the Calcuuta airport. This airport was not named when Nehru was alive and that was signifant. To Nehru,another Bengal leader, Dr BC Roy an eminent physicain-politician mattered.As for Eklavya, a nice name from an epic and as much I know about Indian history which is much more than what the current generation of Indians know, what Iain says is correct. Any one who admired Hitler was/is fascist to me. There is no other word for it.

What about the brave and loyal Indian Army , which was mainly recruited from the sub-continent, which fought with the British during both wars? They did not support -along with most of the Commonwealth- the Axis. Are they not worthy of praise ?

Somewhere I have read that it was a fairly extreme right wing local government in Bombay who decided on changing the name to Mumbai - something or other to do with a temple of a female goddess.

If that is the case, the Lefties in the Beep and other PC bunches now use a name (not I understand universally adopted in Bombay) that represents some non secular diety imposed by a rightist clique. Wonder if it is true?

Leicester Tiger said:"also fighting on the side of the Japanese in Burma was Aung San, the late father of the saintly Leader of the Burmese opposition. History makes for strange bedfellows, but don't expect Burma vets to love the JIFs".

August 11, 2009 3:20 PM

You took the words out of my mouth Tiger !The difference was, of course, that Bose was shot, but Aung San was made PM by Clem Atlee - conveniently betraying the hill tribes (Karens, Chins, Kachins), who fought bravely on the British side, constitute about 40% of the Burmese population, and are the real (but ignored) victims of the Burmese regime - not that bunch of politically ambitious, but photogenic, Burman monks, who would instal a similarly repressive regime.

Its personnel were two-thirds Moslem and one-third Hindu. This time all the Legionnaires wore German uniforms with an arm shield. The Legion had German Officers and the language used was English. At Bose’s recommendation, all volunteers, regardless of previous rank, began their military training as privates. By mid-January 1943, the legion effective strength was composed of 1503 Hindus, 516 Sikhs, 497 Moslems and 77 others divided into three battalions. The Indian formation with 2593 men was attached to the German 404th Infantry Division and assigned to the Zeeland region of Holland..... August 1944, the Legion was transferred into the Waffen-SS with a strength of 2300 men. The unit was sent to France without it’s six anti-tank guns and seventy-one motor vehicles. Designated as the "Indische Freiwilligen-Legion der Waffen-SS" under the command of SS-Oberführer Heinz Bertling."

Norman, you obviously don't know about Indian history. So I don't even need to comment, but since you guys are angered by what MP Sharma has done I wish you all the best in trying to make this a big issue and give it the "great" attention it desreves. Regards, Eklavya

Have your way, but remember this Indians did not give a toss of what S. Bose was except by the Forward Block in Nehru's time. As for us angry about Sharama, as a journalist of any standing you should know that it was a talking point and soon would be forgotten. May be you should start working for Rahul Ghandi who matters today in India. An essay about Turin and favourable account of Sonia's childhood days there would do you a world of good!

Oh, cheers Jimmy, I'll remember that you said that when your house gets burn't down. What was that quote from Robert Bolt's Thomas Moore?

"Oh? And when the last law was down, and the Devil turned 'round on you, where would you hide, Roper, the laws all being flat? This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast, Man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then? Yes, I'd give the Devil benefit of law, for my own safety's sake!"

But Jimmy, you've been taught to the use the words "racist" and "neo-Nazi" haven't you?So lets all bow down to that line of thought shall we and ALL go over to the other side.

Have people actually read the speech? Sharma talks about certain of Bose's values that he admires. He can admire Bose's commitment to the Independence struggle without agreeing with them about everything. Did Churchill working with Stalin against the Nazis mean that he endorsed Communism? I think not. On the subject of Churchill, do people criticise him for his essentially racist comments regarding the inferior intellectual capacity of Indians? No, because he was a great war leader so this is overlooked. So how about we get some perspective, and learn to take a nuanced view of things. It's a shame that Mr Dale feels the need to make this a partisan issue - makes the Tories seem pretty petty.

SanjayYour example about Churchill and what he said is a spurious argument to support Sharma. Sharma negated everything Gandhi stood for by praising Bose whose path of violence based on fascist beliefs was rejected by Indians in 1940s.

Churchill spent his months in Bangalore India as a soldier. Indians respected him as some one who had the courage of his conviction. I have to date come across no Indian leader past/present whoresented what Churchill said. Many of my Indian friends today in their 60s and 70s, looking at Indian politics and political leaders mired in corruption pretty much agree with what Churchill said about Indians governing themselves. You only have to read some Indian political blogs.

Indian political leaders Gandhi and Nehru admired him as the man who stood up against the Fascist forces in Europe headed by Hitler. Hence unthinkable for them to endorse Bose and his friendship with fascists. As regards to Churchill's view of Indians, read about an interesting anecdote of how dignified Churchill behaved when as the first PM of independent India, Nehru participating in Comminwealth PMs Conference in London met Churchill face to face. Despite Churchill calling Gandhi a half-naked fakir, he knew that Gandhi and Nehru were barristers from the Temple and respected their intellect but did not agree with their politics. He had no doubt about their integrity and their adherence to non-violence and democracy.

As for S.Bose, my question is if he was so universally admired despite links with fascists, why Nehru did not take a lead to place him in the pantheon of Indian freedom fighters alongside Gandhi in his premiership lasting over 15 years?

Finally, I am a vegetarian by choice, and I do not praise Hitler as a vegetarian forgetting his odious precepts and practices.

"Despite Churchill calling Gandhi a half-naked fakir, he knew that Gandhi and Nehru were barristers from the Temple and respected their intellect but did not agree with their politics"- I don't know about you, Norman, but if I respected someone I wouldn't insult them.

"Many of my Indian friends today in their 60s and 70s, looking at Indian politics and political leaders mired in corruption pretty much agree with what Churchill said about Indians governing themselves."- It is charming that your friends look back on a bygone era in this way, but the Indians that I have come across would certainly prefer to be an independent country than to be subjugated to British rule.

Could I just state that I think that Bose can certainly be criticised for his actions, but the fact remains that he was fighting against a foreign power that had entrenched herself in his country. If Britain was under fire, would we not engage in realpolitik? Of course! We did so in WWII. I think that while his approach was incorrect, his intentions were admirable.

With regards to your comment about Hitler, it is a question of relative harms. I don't think your counter-example is valid because the relative harms brought about by Hitler's odious policies so clearly outweigh whatever benefits to his character you may judge his vegetarianism to bring. Bose's efforts in the freedom struggle are not so clearly outweighed by his engaging in realpolitik; if you think they do you are entitled to your opinion but you have as yet provided scant justification for it.

I am an Indian from Japan. It is revolting that you are describing Subhas Chandra Bose, celebrated throughout India as the Hero of the Indian independence movement against the British Imperialism as a Facist( as described by George Orwell, an agent of MI^, in his dailt broadcast from the BBC during the 2nd World War.Bose was a Socialist, that was the exact reason he after being elected 2nd time as the President of the Congress Party was forced to resign by Gandhi, the represtative of the Indian capitalists who used to finance Gandhi. Bose went to stalin for help to form a common front against the British imperialism. Stalin expressed his inability and sent him to Hitler, who also has refused, as Hitler was a great admirer of the British imperialsm. He then went to Musilini, and at that time Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Bose wrote a serious letter of protest to Von Ribbentrop against the German invasion, and asked the Indian National Army not do take any part against the Soviet Union. He then went away to Japan, which has already formed in 1943 East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere,and has accepted Bose along with other freedom fighters of Asia with open arms. Sularno ( the first president of Indonesia), Aung San ( father of Sue Kie San), revolutionary leaders of Vietnam, Malay, Cambodia, deposed Emperor of China were all together with Bose to fight against the European imperialsm with the support of Japan.Indian Free Government in Exile was formed in Singapore in 1942, recognized by the Soviet Union, Japan, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Thailand, Romania, and the Imperial China. When Andaman and Nicobar islands were liberated by Japan from the British, Indian flag was raised by Bose. Similarly Kohima and Imphal in India were also liberated by Japan and the Azad Hind Fauz( Army of the Free Indian Government in exile)Indian flag was raised. In 1945 when Japan surrendered Bose went wawy to Manchuria and to the Soviet Union. Bose always maintained close relationship with Molotov, the then Soviet Foreign Minister and Jacob Malik, the then the Soviet Ambassador to Japan in Tokyo. If Bose was a Nazi or Fascist, Soviet Union never could support him. UK will not suppoprt Bose, as Bose was the greatest enemy of the British imperialsm, but in India, his statues are there in every main cities, where the most important road of every cities are named after him.Thus, the MP of SouthHall did the right thing to honour the Hero of India. Those who are objecting to that are supporters of the British Imperialsm.